Petition in IHC challenges Islamabad local election schedule
A petition in the Islamabad High Court challenges the ECP's October 21 order and the schedule for local government elections in the capital. Polling is set for December 20, 2026.
- Petition challenges the ECP's October 21, 2026 order and the Islamabad local election schedule
- Petitioner says the legal status of old delimitations must be determined first
- Polling is scheduled for December 20, 2026
A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan's order of October 21, 2026 and the election schedule for local government polls in the federal capital. Several outlets, including APP and Business Recorder, reported the filing.
The petition was filed by Chaudhry Amjad Ali, a citizen of Islamabad, through his counsel, Barrister Adil Aziz Qazi. It names the Election Commission, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Law, the Capital Development Authority and other authorities as respondents.
The petitioner argues that the commission plans to hold the elections under old delimitations. According to the petition, "elections cannot be held until and unless the legal status of these demarcations is determined", the petitioner said, as reported by 24NewsHD.
The petition notes that the legal term of Islamabad's local bodies ended in February 2021. Under the Elections Act 2017, elections must be held within 120 days of a term ending. Daily Pakistan reported that the last local elections in the capital were held in 2015 and that repeated legal changes and administrative problems have stalled the process for over five years.
The petitioner asks the court to declare the October 21 order and the schedule illegal and void. He also asks the court to suspend or postpone the election process until it gives a verdict, and to order fresh and transparent delimitations until the legal dispute is resolved. He further asks the court to determine the legal and institutional framework of Islamabad's delimitations.
According to the reports, the commission ordered the elections on October 21 under the Local Government Act 2015. Nomination papers are to be filed from November 2 to November 6, 2026, and polling is scheduled for December 20, 2026.
Express News listed earlier steps in the process. The commission issued a delimitation schedule on December 12, 2024, and a programme of December 26, 2025 set polling for February 15, 2026 but was withdrawn after a change in the legal framework. A local government amendment ordinance proposing three town corporations was issued in January 2026, and final lists dated October 14, 2026 showed 130 union councils under three town corporations. The 2015 Act provided for 125 union councils.
Background
khabr.pk reported on November 5 that the Election Commission fixed February 7, 2027 for the first phase of Punjab local polls and suspended the process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until further orders.
Why it matters
The court's handling of the petition bears on when local government elections take place in Islamabad. Residents of the capital have had no elected local government since February 2021. The outcome also affects which delimitations determine the areas in which voters in the capital cast their ballots.
